A new thinktank for data and digital in government?

So. Working in the open, and all that…

I’ve been saying for a while that I think there’s a gap in the thinktank space around the use of data and digital transformation in government. That’s not to say that several organisations aren’t doing valuable work (I’m lucky enough to work, or have worked, for or with many of them).

But the lack of a dedicated organisation with a sustained focus on these issues has always struck me as odd. It’s particularly strange given the historical moment we find ourselves in — with AI the latest technology being sold as transforming the state, and with the first decade or two of digital government behind us. The response to the new advisory panel on the digital centre of government shows the wealth of expertise and insight people have on these issues — and the passion they have for making things work better.

This Google Doc is a rough proposal for what a thinktank working on these areas could look like.

The working title is State of the Future.

The premise is:

‘Data and digital technology can support governments to make life better for people, delivering better policy, better services and better outcomes. But many attempts to do this have failed to deliver on ambitious promises — and we seldom stop to ask why’

In short, the proposal outlines:

• The problem, that we don’t sufficiently learn from history, other parts of the public sector, the devolved administrations, local government, frontline public servants, international examples, other sectors, academia or the public
• That the lack of a thinktank dedicated to data/digital in government is bad for scrutiny of what government is doing, building shared understanding, providing space to think, and providing support
• How State of the Future would focus on understanding, explaining and storytelling; convening and collaborating; and providing practical recommendations for public servants
• The different methods the thinktank would use, including events (including ‘retrospectives’ of previous initiatives), explainers, and podcasts as well as more traditional research reports
• The four pillars of work the thinktank would be built upon: data and AI in government, digital government, open government, and the future of government.

It is overly ambitious. The list of projects is overlong. The current proposal consists of ideas, not a business plan. There are risks, including ‘othering’ data and digital, which might exacerbate rather than ease existing problems.

But I’m keen to see what others think: have I identified the right problems, suggested the right solutions, and proposed projects that would genuinely help people working in government? All comments, whether on the document, via email or via social media, very gratefully received.

If nothing else, the proposal contains a list of projects I think could help public servants and that I’d love to collaborate with people on.

But I’m excited that it could be something more than that.